- Title: Hundreds march in pride parade in Lithuania's capital
- Date: 11th July 2020
- Summary: VILNIUS, LITHUANIA (JULY 11, 2020) (REUTERS) POLICE VAN LEADING LGBT PRIDE PARADE PARTICIPANTS PLAYING DRUMS MARCHERS CROSSING ROAD / POLICE OFFICER WATCHING ON VARIOUS OF PEOPLE MARCHING IN PARADE (SOUNDBITE) (English) PRIDE ORGANISER, FRYDRICHAS MIRECKAS, SAYING: "A lot of legal protections and legal rights are not being insured for LGBTQ people in Lithuania, and therefore we organised this pride event more as a protest than simply a celebration." PRIDE PARTICIPANT ADDRESSING CROWD PEOPLE APPLAUDING PRIDE PARTICIPANTS CHEERING / HOLDING RAINBOW FLAGS (SOUNDBITE) (English) MEMBER OF VILNIUS CITY COUNCIL AND AN ACTIVIST, TOMAS VYTAUTAS RASKEVIÄŒIUS, SAYING: "It's very challenging. According to the legal measures, Lithuania is one of the last countries in Europe, 33rd place among 49 countries. And I think we have three major challenges. It's legal recognition of same sex families, legal gender recognition for transgender persons, and also Lithuania is actually only one European Union member states with so called homosexual propaganda legislation in place. And I really hope it is going to change." VARIOUS OF PRIDE PARTICIPANTS IN SQUARE YOUNG WOMEN HOLDING RAINBOW FLAG (SOUNDBITE) (English) PRIDE PARTICIPANT, VAIDOTAS ILGIUS, SAYING: "We are here just to remind the society that we are important part of Lithuania and we need to live a happy life as anybody else. Me and my family here just came to express the support to our friends here." PRIDE PARTICIPANTS WEARING MASKS AND HOLDING PLACARDS PEOPLE WAVING COLOURED FLAGS MUSICIANS PLAYING PERCUSSION INSTRUMENTS POSTER READING (Lithuanian): "WE ARE EVERYWHERE" PRIDE PARTICIPANTS IN SQUARE (SOUNDBITE) (English) HEAD OF LITHUANIAN GAY LEAGUE, VLADIMIRAS SIMONKO, SAYING: "For me it's clear that our politicians don't want to listen us. It's clear this parliament ignore our requirement 100%. No any improvement in legislation and it means that we hope that next parliament in half a year will hear us." PEOPLE WEARING RAINBOW FLAGS DRAPED OVER THEIR SHOULDERS ANTI-PRIDE PROTESTERS STANDING NEAR PRIDE PARADE
- Embargoed: 25th July 2020 21:18
- Keywords: LGBTQI Lithuania gay and lesbian parade mardi gras pride parade protest
- Location: VILNIUS, LITHUANIA
- City: VILNIUS, LITHUANIA
- Country: Lithuania
- Topics: Society/Social Issues
- Reuters ID: LVA001CMD7WAH
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Around 500 people marched in a pared-back LGBT pride parade in Vilnius on Saturday (July 11) protesting a lack of recognition for transgender people in Lithuania.
Accompanied by drummers, protesters chanted "legalise my love, legalise my name" and "we'll celebrate only when we have something to celebrate". Marchers carried signs with the words "30 years without rights and respect", referring to 30 years since Lithuania regained independence.
The parade fell significantly short of the 8,000 people who marched in Vilnius last year at the official Baltic Pride parade. No more than 1,000 people are currently allowed to gather at public events in Lithuania due to the coronavirus.
This year's Baltics Pride event in Tallinn was cancelled because of the pandemic.
The Vilnius event was peaceful, with several counter protesters on the margins.
(Production: Andrius Sytas, Janis Laizans) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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